1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a method and apparatus for use in strength and fitness conditioning. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a multi-functional training apparatus and method that permits versatile training with key exercises in an effective and functionally progressive manner using a single device.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Muscular strength and endurance play an important role in enabling a person to perform physical activity that said person may encounter in any number of different circumstances including, without limitation, at work, home, an outdoor setting, or while participating in a sporting activity. However, due to a recent epidemic of inactivity and obesity in many adults and children, many people have lost the ability to effectively perform certain basic physical functions that enable people to effectively carry out daily physical demands of everyday life. As a result, this can have a detrimental effect on a person in a variety of ways, such as, for example, by creating muscle imbalance and physical weakness, increasing the chance of an injury, and causing a change in body composition due to a loss of muscle mass.
Conventional exercise and strength-training equipment that can be found in gyms and fitness facilities, suffer from a design deficiency. Most conventional exercise and strength-timing equipment has a fixed movement or motion, which is dictated by a machine that is generally unable to mimic a particular body movement used in a normal physical activity. Further, most exercises are completed in a sitting position, which generally weakens core muscles of the body (abdominal, lower back, and hips) that are needed in order to perform exercises effectively and safely from a standing position, with correct posture and body alignment. However, different muscles and muscle groups within the human body do not work in isolation of each other—multiple muscles work in tandem, as a team. As a result, conventional exercise machines and strength-training equipment will not correct a weak link in a kinetic chain, when multiple muscles within the human body work in sequence to perform a physical task. Instead, conventional exercise machines and strength-training equipment generally isolate a muscle group, and therefore, are unable to address weak link(s) in total body muscle integration, as required for functional strength.
Generally, in order to maximize a transfer benefits that are gained in a gym setting to another activity, such as, for example, a playing field or common activities of daily life, a person must: use a muscle group in a manner that approximates a real life activity; engage deep core muscle groups (such as, deep abdominals, lower back, and hip muscles); perform movements on a variety of different planes of motion and ranges of motion; perform multiple movements in a standing position (not a seated position); and, perform movements that are functionally progressive in order to accommodate a variety of function levels of multiple individuals.
Thus, there is a need for a versatile strength-training and fitness apparatus, and associated method of using same, that can better prepare the human body for real-world physical demands. The apparatus should be inexpensive, easy to use and effective. Further, the apparatus should permit a user to train multiple different muscle groups—and ideally a whole body—in a safe and effective manner.